Star collapse recorded at edge of known universe

TELESCOPES have recorded the most distant cosmic explosion ever seen, probably caused by the collapse of a massive dying star, according to University of Hawaii astronomers.

Astronomers from Japan and Hawaii used the telescopes to measure a dying star some 12.8 billion light years away, at the edge of the known universe.

The burst released about as much energy as the sun will emit during its 10 billion year lifespan, according to Lennox Cowie, an astronomer with the university’s Institute of Astronomy.

“It’s very difficult to detect objects at this distance because they’re very, very faint,” Cowie said. “This is a very exciting gamma ray burst. It’s quite dramatic.”

Because gamma ray bursts last only a short time, scientists set up an automated communications network to alert them when NASA’s Swift Gamma-Ray Burst satellite, launched last year, detected radiation so they could train the telescopes on the source.

As scientists look farther away, they are looking further back in time.

Cowie said that by studying gamma ray bursts, scientists can learn more about how our sun and elements like carbon were formed.